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Trip from Austin, TX to Wells Branch, TX

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

21m

Distance

15.1 mi

24 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$2

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 6 min
4 AM
0h 19m ★
6 AM
0h 21m
8 AM
0h 25m
10 AM
0h 23m
12 PM
0h 22m
3 PM
0h 23m
5 PM
0h 25m
8 PM
0h 20m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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Downtown Austin, TX, TX

Austin, TX

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Wells Branch, TX, TX

Wells Branch, TX

Mark Direen

Trip Overview

This quick 15.1-mile journey from Austin to Wells Branch in Texas takes about 21 minutes, making it an easy day trip. You'll primarily navigate on the Purple Heart Trail and North Interstate 35. With a modest fuel cost of around $2, this route is economical for a short hop. The drive is mostly local roads, so don't expect a high-speed interstate cruise. Since it's such a short distance, you have plenty of flexibility in your timing. Both your origin and destination are within the Great Plains region, so the landscape will remain consistent throughout.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Purple Heart Trail 11.6 mi 13m
North Interstate 35 1.1 mi 1m
Wells Port Drive 0.7 mi 1m
Wells Branch Parkway 0.6 mi 1m
East 5th Street 0.3 mi <1m
Alpha Collier Drive 0.1 mi <1m
East 7th Street 0.1 mi <1m
Red River Street 0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Purple Heart Trail — 11.6 mi, about 13m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Austin, TX and Wells Branch, TX.

1

Start on East 5th Street

0.3 mi · 52 sec · East 5th Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
2

Turn left onto Red River Street

0.1 mi · 20 sec · Red River Street
Use the left lane.
3

Turn right onto East 7th Street

0.1 mi · 17 sec · East 7th Street
Use the right lane.
4

Turn left onto North Interstate 35

0.2 mi · 26 sec · North Interstate 35
Use the left lane.
5

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 22 sec
Toward I 35 North, US 290 East
6

Merge onto I 35; US 290

0.6 mi · 42 sec · Purple Heart Trail
7

Keep slight right at fork onto I 35; US 290

11 mi · 12 min · Purple Heart Trail
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Take the exit

0.1 mi · 14 sec
Exit 247 Toward FM 1825: Pflugerville Use the slight right lane.
9

Turn straight onto North Interstate 35

0.9 mi · 1 min · North Interstate 35
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
10

Turn sharp left onto FM 1825

0.6 mi · 1 min · Wells Branch Parkway
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
11

Turn right onto Wells Port Drive

0.7 mi · 1 min · Wells Port Drive
12

Turn left onto Alpha Collier Drive

0.1 mi · 35 sec · Alpha Collier Drive
13

Turn right onto Quiet Wood Drive

310 ft · 13 sec · Quiet Wood Drive
14

Arrive at destination

Quiet Wood Drive

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 13

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.3 and 12.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

6
0.3 mi into trip | ~0m in | Red River Street

Turn left onto Red River Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
7
0.5 mi into trip | ~1m in | East 7th Street

Turn right onto East 7th Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.
5
0.6 mi into trip | ~1m in | North Interstate 35

Turn left onto North Interstate 35

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
6
1.5 mi into trip | ~3m in | I 35; US 290 / Purple Heart Trail

Keep slight right at fork onto I 35; US 290 / Purple Heart Trail

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
12.6 mi into trip | ~15m in

Take the exit toward FM 1825: Pflugerville

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Exit 247 Toward FM 1825: Pflugerville

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.28 one way

$4.56 round trip

$3.84/gal 25.4 MPG avg 5 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.20 $2.50 $4.99
premium $4.54 $2.70 $5.39
diesel $5.61 $3.33 $6.67

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$2

Estimated CO2 emission: 5.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 4.5 0 $1.59 $0.72
Efficient EV 3.8 0 $1.32 $0.60
EV Truck/SUV 6 0 $2.11 $0.97

Gas CO2

5 kg

EV CO2

2 kg (60% less)

This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.

DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.

Travel Intel

Current conditions at both ends of the drive.

Forecast as of Apr 21, 2026

Origin

Austin, TX

Late night in Austin on Tuesday

Local time

4:26 AM

CDT

Current temp

59°F

Showers And Thunderstorms

E 0 to 5 mph 82% chance Live forecast

Rip Current Statement

Rip Current Statement issued April 20 at 10:56PM CDT until April 22 at 1:00AM CDT by NWS Houston/Galveston TX

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 20 at 8:24PM CDT until April 22 at 10:26AM CDT by NWS Austin/San Antonio TX

Destination

Wells Branch, TX

Late night in Wells Branch on Tuesday

Local time

4:26 AM

CDT

Current temp

57°F

Showers And Thunderstorms

SE 5 mph 83% chance Live forecast

Rip Current Statement

Rip Current Statement issued April 20 at 10:56PM CDT until April 22 at 1:00AM CDT by NWS Houston/Galveston TX

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 20 at 8:24PM CDT until April 22 at 10:26AM CDT by NWS Austin/San Antonio TX

Time zone

Same local time

Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.

Temperature spread

2 degrees cooler at arrival

A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.

Road read

21m on the road

The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.

Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.

What kind of drive is this?

Expect a turn-heavy local drive for this 15.1-mile trip. Only about 11% of this route involves highway driving, with the bulk of your time spent on local roads like the Purple Heart Trail and Wells Port Drive. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 11.6 miles on the Purple Heart Trail. This means you'll be adjusting your speed and making frequent turns rather than settling into a long, steady cruise. The character of the drive shifts between local traffic conditions and brief highway segments.

Only 11% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 11.6 mi on Purple Heart Trail.

How Hard Is This Drive?

7/10

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.3 miles in near Red River Street.

Driving Effort 7/10

Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 13 decision points packed into just 15.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 21m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.3 miles (Red River Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.5 miles (East 7th Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.6 miles (North Interstate 35): Lane positioning matters here.

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

On the drive from Austin, TX to Wells Branch, TX, road signs begin pointing toward Fm 1825: Pflugerville along the way.

Fm 1825: Pflugerville

12.6 mi in | ~15m

About the Cities

Starting in Austin, TX

Full guide →

“City of the Violet Crown” · Founded 1835

Austin is a city of about 1,054,000 (2026) surpassing Fort Worth to become the 4th most populous city in Texas. It is on the southeast edge of the Hill Country region of Texas, making it the fourth-largest city in the state and the 11th-largest in the country. It is the capital of Texas and a college town, and also a center of an alternative culture away from the major cities on the US coasts, though the city is rapidly gentrifying with its rising popularity. Austin's attitude is commonly emblazoned about town on T-shirts and bumper stickers that read: "Keep Austin Weird." Austin is also marketed as the Live Music Capital of the World due to the large number of venues.

Top landmarks

  • • Texas State Capitol — capitol and seat of government of the U.S. state of Texas
  • • Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum — presidential library and museum for U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson in Austin,...
  • • Texas State Cemetery — historic cemetery in Austin, Texas, USA

Arriving in Wells Branch, TX

Full guide →

City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 21m. Total distance: 15.1 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

21m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 11.6 miles on Purple Heart Trail. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Wells Branch, TX before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.

Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.

The main spots that need attention: at 0.3 miles (Red River Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.5 miles (East 7th Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.6 miles (North Interstate 35): Lane positioning matters here.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Wells Branch, TX before heading back.

How this page is built

Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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